I participate in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Hill Climb each year - 7.6 miles at an average gradient of 12% (22% for the last 100 feet, which is mean). At 12%, a 1% drop in total weight (bike plus rider plus stuff) translates to a 1% increase in speed - in other words, gravity provides 100% of the resistance.

So, given that I'm already so skinny my wife would kill me if I lost any weight, and that this race is really my only one each year - I train for it exclusively through the spring and summer, and finally that I'm turning 50 with in a year, and want to treat myself to something really silly - I thought of putting together a crazy light bike just for this race. And I don't want to buy anything new for it - just very light used stuff, so it shouldn't cost too much.

So here's what I'm thinking: I buy a used super light frame (maybe a Scott CR1 Limited?) and then turn it into a minimalist single speed, with no derailleurs, no brakes, tubular tires on super light rims, and shortened handlebars.

What do you think? Could I get down to 8 or 9 pounds total? Is it hard to use a standard carbon frame as a single speed - should I replace the dropouts so they're more horizontal?

Thanks

David

Depending on your budget some shopping in the classifieds is in order. I think there is a sub 1000g wheelset, a superlight frame, and heck even a whole superlight project bike (complete with gears)

As far as going to SS you need to figure out if there is a 'magic gear' to tension the chain right or you have to run an extra pulley tensioner. personally though, I run a different gear at 12% and 22%

Buy my bike before I part it out. It weighs less than 9 pounds.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=99948&hilit=ghisallo

I agree with bigsky. SS might not be ideal. What do the other die-hards do?

If that ghisallo fits you, I'd say you've got an ideal bike.

Last of all, I'm a glutton for punishment. That climb sounds awesome! I'm adding it to my bucket list.

I agree the Ghisallo would be great, but my budget is light, so I'm looking to build something up, taking my time.
Most riders on Mt. Washington use their gears, but I've found over the years that I use maybe 3 cogs, and they're all close to each other (22 up front, and I use a 21, 22, 24 in the back). I figure I could make it with some difficulty using a 22-22 combination.
And the climb is awesome, because not only is it really hard in ideal conditions, but most of the time it's cold, windy, and sometimes rainy. And the wind can howl on this mountain - I've seen people get blown over near the top.
DP

Wouldn't "making it up with some difficulty" negate the benefits of the reduced weight?
I'd consider using down tube shifters with 3, 4 or 5 cogs made from aluminium and pvc pipe as a spacer across the rest of the freewheel.
Buy a mid-range derailleur (athena, chorus, ultegra, sram-equivalent) and modify the hell out of it!

Add lots of drillium to everything...

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You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.
-- Frank Zappa

Maybe a 1x setup would work with half a cassette at the back? I saved a lot of weight and parts when I converted a flat bar cruiser to 1x7 all while keeping a nice spread of ratios.


. by Harry Shaud, on Flickr

sounds like a great climb/race. You should come check out our local climb/race on Maui. 36 miles 10,000 ft.

http://cycletothesun.net/

heres a video of Ryder Hesjedal trying to beat his team Garmin Slipstream Boss's time a few years previous

http://vimeo.com/2805838

And I thougth my local Iron Horse was cool...

How did you get Benotto tape down to 10g?

Great shot HarryS. It shows pretty much exactly what I was thinking but also it just looks cool with the very shallow depth of focus etc.

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You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.
-- Frank Zappa

Cool project! 8-9 lbs should not be too hard to achieve. I've done that race a couple times and I think you could get away with a single speed as the grade is very consistent (except for the first 100 yds and the last 100 yds). That said, if I did it I would probably go with a single chainring up front and gears in back: the weight penalty wouldn't be all that big, and that way you could easily use the bike on lots of things. I would also probably put on a front brake (only) for the same reason.

As for the dropouts, with vertical dropouts you can try different front/rear cog combinations and could probably get something to work in your ideal range (since you have flexibility up front as well). However, with horizontal dropouts you could use whatever chainrings/cogs you wanted so it certainly would be easier.

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CLB

I'll be there in February!

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I think that your required to have one working brake for this race. Better check before race day

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WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

No brakes required at Mt. Washington, only a helmet.
I'm open to all suggestions on how to get a super light bike. Remember though, every pound I take off (current bike is around 17 lbs) means about 40 seconds faster. I normally do around 75 minutes, so every second matters!
DP